Method for forming sheet metal gutters



Jan. 3, 1950 J. E NAVIN METHOD FOR FORMING SHEET METAL GUTTERS Filed July 18, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 37 z? za 5 y K EA .0 W r IE 7 M 3 a M J a a Jan. '3, 1950 J. E. NAVlN 2,493,415

mmuon FOR FORMING srmm' METAL GUTTERS Filed July 18, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.5

Patented Jan. 3, 1950 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE METHOD FOR FORMING SHEET METAL GUTTERS This invention relates to the sheet metal forming art and more particularly to the art of forming sheet metal gutters.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved system of forming sheet metal gutters which is very simple, rapid and economical.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of forming sheet metal gutters which utilizes the material in a very eflicient manner, reduces the cost of manufacture of the gutters and provides uniformity of contour in the finished gutters.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly in cross-section of a machine for forming sheet metal gutters in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the machine of Figure 1.

Figures 3 to 12, inclusive, are detail views illustrating the successive pairs of sheet metal forming rolls employed in the machine of Figure 1.

Figures 13 to 21, inclusive, are cross-sectional detail views illustrating the respective configurations of the sheet metal stock as it is fed through the successive respective pairs of forming rolls illustrated in Figures 4 to 12.

Figure 22 is an enlarged detail view in perspective of a guide stop element employed in the machine of Figure 1.

Figure 23 is a fragmentary perspective view of a finished section or" a sheet metal gutter formed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, H designates a table structure having parallel vertical side walls l2 and i3 supported on a suitable frame whose front end is shown at l and whose rear end is shown at E5. Journaled transversely in the side Walls l2 and 13 in a common horizontal plane are the longitudinally spaced top forming rolls designated respectively at it to 25 and vertically aligned with the respective top rolls [6 to 25 are the respective bottom transverse rolls 26 to 35 also journaled in the side walls 12 and I3 in a common horizontal plane below the plane of the top rolls. Adjacent side wall 12 each top roll earries a gear 36 and carried on each bottom roll in vertical alignment with the gear 36 of the associated top roll is a similar gear 3?. Journaled longitudinally in the frame il between the gears 36 and 31 is a worm shaft 38 meshing with said gears 36 and 31 to drive them simultaneously in reverse directions. Worm shaft 38 is driven by any suitable source of power.

lhreadedly secured in the walls 12 and 13 in the horizontal plane between the respective sets of rolls are spaced stud members 33 on the inner ends of which are threaded stop nuts 4! which function as guides for a sheet of metal stock fed through the rolls. Threaded on the outer ends of the studs are nuts dl for locking the studs to the respective side walls l2 and I3.

The initial set of rolls l6 and 26 carry cooperating central shearing blades 32, i3. When a sheet of metal stock is fed between rolls l5 and 2'5 at the front of the machine it is sheared 1ongitudinally by the blades 42, 43.

Roll 2'! carries a central symmetrical male bevel die M cooperating with an annular bevelled recess 65 formed in roll H to bend the sheared edges of the stock upwardly, as shown at 46, M5 in Figure 13.

Roll 28 carries a central shouldered male die 41 cooperating with an annular shouldered recess 48 in roll I8 to bend the stock edges to perpendicular positions with respect to the plane of the stock, as shown at 49, 49 in Figure 14.

Roll 19 carries a central bevelled male die 50 cooperating with roll 29 to bend the stock edges outwardly as shown at El, 5! in Figure 15.

Roll 223 is formed with annular shouldered symmetrically spaced recesses 52, 52 cooperating with roll 39 to bend the stool: edges parallel to the plane of the stock, as shown at 53, 53 in Figure 16.

Roll 31 is formed with a bevelled symmetrical central male die 54, cooperating with bevelled annular shoulders 55, 55 formed on roll 2! to bend the flanged stock edges of Figure 16 to inclined positions shown at 56, 55 in Figure 17.

Roll 32 is formed with a shouldered central male die 5'! cooperating with shoulders 52, 58 formed on roll 22 to bend the flanged stock edges to the perpendicular positions shown at 59, 59 to form edges in Figure 18. Roll 32 also is formed with symmetrical outwardly spaced arcuately curved annular male dies 60, 50 cooperating with annular recessed 6|, 6! formed in roll 22 to produce the respective longitudinal corrugations 62, 62 in the stock blanks shown in Figure 18.

Roll 33 is formed with a symmetrically bevelled central male die 63 cooperating with shoulders 64, 64 formed on roll 23 to produce inclined bends in the stock blanks such as shown in Figure 19 at 65. Roll 33 also is formed with annular recesses 66, 66 cooperating with male arcuately curved annular die portions 61, 61 formed on roll 23 to produce the reverse corrugations 68 in the stock blanks as shown in Figure 19.

Roll 24 is formed with symmetrically spaced large bevelled male dies 69, B9 cooperating with annularly recessed female die portions 10, 10 on roll 34 to produce the downward bends H in the stock blanks, as shown in Figure 20.

Roll is formed with symmetrically spaced large shouldered annular male dies 12, 12 cooperating with annularly recessed female shouldered die portions 13, 13 formed on roll to produce the perpendicular bends 14 and I5 in each of the stock blanks, as shown in Figure 21.

In operation, the sheet metal in flat strip form is fed between the shearing rolls IB and 26 at the front end of the machine and progresses between the succeeding rolls as above described, being bent stage by stage, until two completely formed box-like gutters such as shown in fragmentary view in Figure 23 emerge from the rear end of the machine. The operation of the machine is completely automatic and it is only necessary to feed the flat strip material in a properly aligned manner into the front end of the machine between the initial rolls l6 and 26. alignment may be positively established at the forward portion of the machine by setting the guide nuts at said forward portion to engage the outside edges of the entering strip of stock.

While a specific embodiment of a system for forming sheet metal gutters has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications in the method and means employed may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a sheet metal gutter which comprises shearing a strip of flat elongated sheet metal stock longitudinally substantially midway between the side edges thereof to subdivide the strip into two parts, simultaneously bending the portions of the two parts adjacent the sheared edges upwardly and backwardly to form an inturned flange parallel to and spaced from the remaining portion of each of said parts, simultaneously bending the portions of the two parts adjacent the inturned flanges perpendicular to the remaining portion of each of said parts to form in conjunction with each of the inturned flanges a ledge, simultaneously bending the portions of the two parts adjacent the ledges to form at least two corrugations, and simultaneously bending the portions of said parts adjacent to the corrugations to form with the ledges and corrugations two sections of box-like form.

2. The method of forming a sheet metal gutter which comprises shearing a strip of flat elongated sheet metal stock longitudinally substantially midway between the side edges thereof to subdivide the strip into two parts, simultaneously The bending the portions of the two parts adjacent the sheared edges perpendicularly to the remaining portion of each of said parts, simultaneously bending the perpendicular portions of the two 5 parts outwardly and backwardly to form an inturned flange parallel to and spaced from the remaining portion of each of said parts, simultaneously bending the portions of the two parts adjacent the inturned flanges perpendicular to the remaining portion of each of said parts to form in conjunction with each of the inturned flanges a ledge, simultaneously bending the portions of the two parts adjacent the ledges to form at least two corrugations, and simultaneously bending the portions of said parts adjacent to the corrugations to form with the ledges and cormgations two sections of box-like form.

3. The method of forming a sheet metal gutter which comprises shearing a strip of flat elongated sheet metal stock longitudinally substantially midway between the side edges thereof to subdivide the strip into two parts, simultaneously bending the portions of the two parts adjacent the sheared edges perpendicularly to the remaining portion of each of said parts, simultaneously bending the perpendicular portions of the two parts outwardly and backwardly to form an inturned flange parallel to and spaced from the remaining portion of each of said parts, simul- 0 taneously bending the portions of the two parts adjacent the inturned flanges perpendicular to the remaining portion of each of said parts to form in conjunction with each of the inturned flanges a ledge, simultaneously bending the portions of the two parts adjacent the ledges to form at least two corrugations, simultaneously bending the portions of said parts adjacent to the corrugations to form a bend perpendicular with respect to the ledge of each of said parts, simultaneously 40 bending the portions of said parts adjacent the perpendicular bends to form a second bend perpendicular to each of the perpendicular bends of each of said parts, and simultaneously bending the remaining portions of said parts adjacent the 5 second bends to form with the ledges, corrugations, first and second perpendicular bends, two sections of box-like form.

JOHN E. NAVIN.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 111,016 Tasker Jan. 17, 1871 759,480 Shifiey May 10, 1904 1,004,083 Ritter Sept. 26, 1911 1,495,637 Fedders May 2, 1924 Q 1,507,872 Van Orman Sept. 9, 1924 1,753,829 Himmel et al Apr. 8, 1930 

